Raleigh, Archie, Gus

Popping in to give some of my humble advice. As you might know, I do pug rescue and have for years. :)

Pugs are funny little creatures, and have many quirks!

I definitely recommend getting Archie neutered as soon as you can, when its safe for him. As he is 7 months now, his hormones are really going to start coming in, and the marking could get worse. Pugs are notorious for this, and it is sadly one of the biggest reasons we get male pugs surrendered. The sooner the better too, so you can stop him ahead of the game from developing any humping habits. We usually neuter pugs between 6 and 9 months, if we can. I think a lot of vets don't really care about spay/neuter, especially some long-time vets.

That said, you might try an immune boosting supplement to help build up his immune system. B Naturals makes a good one.

Dogs that are fed raw, dehydrated, or even canned foods usually drink much less because they are not working to rehydrate their bodies from the dry kibble. Unless he is showing signs of dehydration, I would probably not worry too much. You can add more water to his food before serving it, which will force him to drink the water as he eats the food.

Pugs can be quite sensitive to vaccinations, and many pug owners will administer a benedryl before getting shots. My own pugs have had reactions too, so I really feel for your guy on this one.

Also, he is quite young... but, you might have his soft palette & trachea looked at, if he seems to be hacking or having trouble breathing.

Renee,
I appreciate your advise. Thank you.
I sent you a visitors message.

I took Archie to the vet's on Friday. I had a lot of questions and I wanted a bump on his head checked out and the Pustules on his face have gotten worse. It has been bugging me ever since he had blood work done after his seizure and his white blood cell count was high. Then with all his problems I have been wondering about his count. The vet did a complete blood work.
His total WBC count has gone up even more. The Lymphocytes have come down slightly but are still high and the Monocytes are high.
Creatinine Kinase is high 380 Ref Range 10-200 U/L
Glucose is high 115 63-114 mg/dl
Calcium is high 11.3 8.8-11.2 mg/dl
Phosphorus is high 7.9 2.5-6.1 mg/dl
TCO2(Bicarbonate) is high 30 13-27 mmol/L
Chloride is low 107 108-119 mmol/L
WBC is high 19.6 4.9-17.6 K/uL
Lymphocyte is high 7644 1060-4950 /uL
Monocyte is high 1764 130-1150 /uL

The vet doesn't know why his count is up so she wants me to take Archie to see an IMS.
I am so scared.

Oh no Vicki! Poor little Archie. I wonder what on earth is going on with him. Maybe some of the others will have some idea. I wonder if there is an infection somewhere.
hopefully the IMS can figure out what is going on.

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

I am so sorry Vicki. All of this has been going on much to long with Archie. I'm glad you had his bloodwork done. Some of the numbers could indicate an infection somewhere, particularly with the pustules on his face. Has he been on antibiotics, I don't remember. I hope the IMS can get it figured out. Poor Archie. He is still just a baby. :o xxxx

I was thinking it could be a liver shunt, because some of his symptoms could be attributed to that, but... the bloodwork doesn't really support a liver shunt.

An IMS is a good idea.

Wish I had more to offer. But I will be sending my strongest puggie vibes that Archie is okay, and if they find anything, that it will be easily managed.

Oh Vicki, I am so sorry that Archie continues to have these problems. At this point, though, I do think it is a good idea to take him to see the IMS, both for Archie's health and for your own peace of mind. Being the supreme worrier that I am myself, I know what a toll it takes when you just don't know what is happening. Hopefully the IMS will be able to shed some light on things and organize a treatment plan that will start setting things right again for Archie. Please let us know as soon as you find out anything.

Sending tons of hugs,
Marianne

This whole thing is just really getting to me. Today I screamed. Archie would not eat his dog food at lunch time. Between the diarrhea, him having to see an IMS and then not wanting to eat at lunch just reminded me of what Scoop went through. It was around this time last year that Scoop became picky with his eating. Archie did eat the food for his supper but he has never been like this before. He would always be so anxious for his food. Jumping at the kitchen cabinet. This is driving me crazy with worry.

Does anyone have pet insurance?
If so, what company?

I had been wanting to check into it since Archie and Gus came here but looking at everything just seemed so overwhelming that I procrastinated. Now I wish I would have taken it out right from the beginning. I never thought this would be happening to Archie at such a young age. I just thought I had time to do that.

Kathy, Archie was on antibiotics when we first got him for his kennel cough and then again the day he had his seizure they did blood work at the emergency hospital and his white count was up so she put him on an antibiotic in case he had an infection but it didn't make a difference in his white count because it was checked after he was done with the antibiotics. The vet said something about antibiotics for the pustules but then didn't put him on it. She also said he could go on antibiotics for Lyme disease just in case but he was tested for Lyme disease on Friday and it was negative.

Would antibiotics be bad for his immune system?

The one vet thinks all of Archie's problems are because his immune system, as he put it, has not caught up yet. That it needs time but that wouldn't be why his blood work is off, right?

Marianne, I am a supreme worrier myself.

Thanks everyone for your support and caring.

Oh Vicki, none of this us fair. Archie should be running, pouncing and playing like other pups his age. I hope you are able to get him in to see an IMS soon. Sorry, I don't have health insurance, so I can't help with that. Archie has something going on, that's for sure. He needs to see someone who can figure it all out. I know that you are worried. I would be too. xxxx

Hey Vicki.

So sorry to read Archie is still having issues, I know nothing about the tests or insurance over there so just popping in to give you a big hug

Mel
Xxxxx